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Beverly Hills Hotel Booked Up Despite Boycott

The hotel had no vacancies on two recent weekends, but the top group supporting the boycott says it hasn't backed down

This story first appeared in the Aug. 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

Hollywood's boycott of the Beverly Hills Hotel has achieved some success in keeping industryites away from the Polo Lounge and the hotel's event spaces. But there's one area that seems immune to the town's cold shoulder: the room reservations line. When THR checked availability for Aug. 9, the hotel was fully booked. Same for the following weekend. So what's up? A hotel rep declined THR's request for comment on occupancy rates. However, some observers speculate that out-of-town guests and international visitors may not be aware of (or may not support) the boycott, which caught steam following the May 1 introduction of anti-gay Sharia law in Brunei by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who owns the BHH.

So have efforts faded? A rep for the Human Rights Campaign, a top group supporting the boycott, says it hasn't backed down. "The evidence is clear that when people learn about the sultan's horrific new laws, they make an informed choice to avoid the Beverly Hills Hotel," says HRC's Jason Rahlan. "We will continue to raise awareness about these brutal laws."